On Sunday I pulled my self out of bed to get ready to go for a snowshoe in Fox forest just across the road from my house. It’s cold out, low twenty’s. But the forecast is for the temps to rise fast today. I shuffle around for breakfast, morning chores and gather my equipment. I final head out side around 8am. I try to set my poor mans GPS(pedometer) to my snow shoe stride.
At 8:30 the sun is shinning bright as I scramble up the snow bank across the road from my house and plunge into 10 inches of snow on the other side. I take a few steps and quickly remember how much harder snow shoeing is then just walking. I take a deep breath and push on threw the woods that will eventually meet up with marked trail in Fox.
I trudge threw the snow breaking trail. There is a crust on the snow that I break threw with a loud Crunch every step. When I pull my foot forward the snow shoe toe breaks the crust again making another ripping sound. It’s quiet the ruckus as I walk on.
I’m already tired of breaking trail and can’t wait to get to the marked trail were hopefully some one has already broken the path. I need this kick in the as for so many reasons. The biggest one is I signed up for snow shoe
I reach the marked trail and find that no one has broken it yet. I’m a little bummed but also grateful for extra work out that I get from breaking trail. I continue a long up hill climb. At the top I try to run a little bit, still breaking trail, it doesn’t feel too bad but I only run for about 200ft. I continue breaking a lot of trail. And were I don’t break trail only one or two people have been through, some with boots some with snow shoes. It’s kind of disappointing to me. Don’t get me wrong it is fun and exciting to break trail and the extra work out is really needed. But the fact that this snow has been on the ground since Wednesday and here it is Sunday, almost noon, and hardly any trails are being used is sad. This is something that people can do for free and have fun doing with friends, family, or like me by yourself. It saddens me that people are this lazy and uninterested in being outside. On the other hands it excites me a little. To know I’m better then them. Darwinism, survival of the fittest. What would happen to you if the world as you know it ended?
Ugh that being said I keep pushing on. It’s apparent as I get closer the main trail head that I’m not going to be able to hit all the trails I was planning to. I just don’t have the strength today to do it and not stop every 5 minutes to catch my breath and be miserable. It’s still bright and sunny at the trail head and I’m briefly on broken trails. But it quickly changes as I head out and I’m still breaking trail still on some of the most common trail. The clouds move in quickly and the temps rise with 30mins of leaving the main trail head.
As I break trail through the last sections the sound of the snow shoes crunching threw the snow is really wearing on me. I’m again surprised no one has been out here on one of the most common trail sections. I plug on at almost a snails pace it seems. I can feel the fatigue in my.. well pretty much all my leg muscles(hip flexors, gluts, quads, hamstrings and calves). I finally reach the home stretch and my pace picks up every so slightly. The last section will soon be logged and the trees the decorated with ribbons and paint markers. I try to enjoy now before it goes away. I get back to my trail to house and head home.
It was a real good kick in the ass. According to my pedometer I only did 4.1 miles and it took me around 4 hrs. I don’t have 26 hours to finish my race,… in 11 weeks. Training here I come again!
